


Little One

by LongLiveTheQueen



Category: Cyberpunk 2077 - Fandom
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, I'm in love with the Male V on the game poster okay sue me, Kidnapping, Lemon, Love, Protective V, Romance, Smut, Smut Eventually, V is funny and also an asshole, idk but Johnny's metal arm deserves a special mention, mama always said if you cant find it write it yourself, more tags to come, not sure if following plot yet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:28:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28082448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LongLiveTheQueen/pseuds/LongLiveTheQueen
Summary: Eleanora Hawkins was at the wrong place at the wrong time. That is, if you considered moving to Night City from Atlanta in order to be forced into an arranged marriage and then be kidnapped as two criminals try to escape a murder to be in the wrong place wrong time category. Sometimes the best things always happen at the wrong time.
Relationships: Male V/ OFC, Male V/ Original Character, Male V/ Original Female Character
Comments: 19
Kudos: 78





	1. The Plaza

Nora Hawkins did not want to be here. There were six million other places in this God-forsaken city that she would rather be. As a matter of fact, the city landfill ranked higher than her family's apartment in Konpeki Plaza.

Atlanta was no fairy tale palace but Nora already missed it. Night city...it smelled like despair and loss. Nora mourned for her home.

"Nora! Father wants you." A tiny blonde head came into view. Claire Hawkins. Nora's little sister. She had just turned 14 a few weeks ago.

"Of course he does." Nora sighed, standing up. Her voice sounded more severe than she had meant it, and the girl grimaced, placing her hand on Claire's head and ruffling her ash blonde locks playfully. She huffed, ducking out of her older sister's reach.

Nora slipped her feet back into her nude heels then, wiping out any wrinkles that sitting could have caused in her satin dress. She glances at herself in the reflection of the mirror then, pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. Her ash blonde hair was wavy and unruly, fighting to escape its slick bun.

Nora looked tired. Thick purple crescent moon shaped splotches lay under her caramel brown eyes. Nora was tiny and petite normally and she typically had more meat on her bones. She hadn't much felt like eating as of late so she had lost a few pounds, making her seem more waif life than anything.

"Run along to Mother now, little pup." Nora said, and Claire scoffed before heading back out of the room. Her sister's footsteps echoed through the entertainment room, causing the sound to echo on the bare walls. This new home felt so...cold. It had none of the vintage character their home in Atlanta had had.

Nora shook her head, trying her best to wipe that train of thought from her mind. It wasn't going to do her well to dwell on what could be. This was their home now. She needed to accept it. There was no future for her in Atlanta. Not when she was needed here.

Nora made her way through the eerily quiet halls of the apartment, nodding a the maids who seemed to tremble at her presence. Everyone knew the path that laid before her. Did they fear or pity her?

Nora decided not to think too deeply into it as she entered her father's office. Peter Hawkins was an attractive man. He was tall and lean with the same ash blonde hair as his daughters. His eyes, unlike theirs, were an unnatural robotic white thanks to the best cyberware money could buy. Peter Hawkins cursed as he stared at the holographic image, lifting a hand and sliding the image away with a simple flick of his wrist.

Nora entered the doorway, hands folded in front of her to keep from nervously twisting at her dress.

Finally, Peter Hawkins turned towards her, his face unreadable as usual. "Eleanora, you haven't been responding to the correspondence you've been sent." to the point, as per usual.

Nora cleared her throat before speaking. "I don't have any opinions on flower arrangements, Daddy." Nora licked her lips nervously then, not daring to look up from the spot she had focused on his desk. There was a small chip in the glass on the top of the desk. Probably from slamming something down in frustration one too many times.

Peter didn't say anything for a moment, simply sat in his desk chair and crossed folded his fingers together. The metal on his knuckles gleamed under the light of his office. He started at her with that calculated expression he used during his meetings. Peter Hawkins wasn't a man you said 'no' to.

"This situation isn't ideal," Peter began,"when you're stuck in the idea of true love. True love doesn't exist, Eleanora. Sometimes money and status are more important."

Nora's heart ached. She often read novels from written what seemed like an eternity ago. Anne of Green Gables, Pride and Prejudice, Little Women were some of them, they were the most expensive items she owned actually. She wanted a love like Jo and Friedrich, Anne and Gilbert, and Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. Maybe her father was right on this, as he was on a vast number of things.

"This marriage will be happening, Nora. With you or with Claire. It's your choice."

Nora felt her nails digging into her palm then. Never Claire. It would NEVER be Claire. "Me." She said her voice barely above a whisper.

Before her father could utter another word, red flashing and alarms blaring broke out throughout the hotel. Peter cursed, standing and heading around the desk. "What the hell is going on?" He cursed.

"Please evacuate the building calmly and quickly." The plaza's comms blared then.

Her father huffed in annoyance. The pair headed into the foyer, Arasaka security now standing armed and ready.

"What's going on, Peter?" Margo Hawkins sighed in annoyance. Margo Hawkins was a vision. She was tall and willowy, with sharp cheekbones and the same doe-like eyes she shared with her eldest daughter. Margo was a perfect match for her husband in fierceness and will power. If anything, Nora was more terrified of her mother and her sly nature than her father.

"What's going on is we're paying hundreds of thousands of eurodollars to live here and we can't even do it peacefully." Peter snapped, heading out the front door with his wife following. Two of the guards followed them, and one hung back waiting for the younger Hawkins family members. 

"Ugh, I was just about to call Georgette. She was going to tell me about her date with Anthony." Claire sighed heavily, the teenage angst now out in full force.

"I'm sure it went terrible. Anthony seems like a real prize winning show hog." Nora sighed, remembering her sister's tales of Anthony. Georgette and Anthony went to Claire's new school, and while it was comforting that her sister was fitting in, it still felt like a betrayal. How could she so easily forget Atlanta?

"Ladies let's move." The guard growled.

Both sisters looked at each other and giggled, following after her parents. When they entered the hallway the parents were already in the elevators, the door dinging shut behind them. The rest of the hall was empty, besides the pair and the guard.

They advanced to the elevator, chatting about the day and what their chef was going to make for dinner. The door dinged open and they entered before selecting the main floor. The lights were still flashing as the doors slid shut.

It didn't head down all the way. It stopped three floors into its own words journey.

"Behind me." The guard barked, grabbing Claire roughly and jerking her behind him. He didn't have a chance to grab Nora when the doors slid open.

Two men stood, assault rifles at the ready and pointing them down, ready to gun them to the ground.

The first was a short and broad man, his hair black and shaved on the bottom and slightly on the top. His hair was pulled back into a ponytail and his face was covered in scars and cyberware.

The man beside him was handsome but fierce. His dirty blonde hair was shaved at the side, leaving a little extra on top as many military service members wore theirs. His eyes were startlingly grey and his handsome face and a small amount of scruff on it.

Both men wore Corpo suits and were covered in patches of bright red blood.

The dirty blonde grabbed her then, jerking her back into his chest. He holstered his gun and grabbed a pistol in a fluid movement, holding it to her head. He was trained. He knew what he was doing.

"V, what the hell!?" The man beside him said, eyes darting from the man, V, to Nora before going back to the guard.

"Scan your badge to take is to the parking garage or I blow her brains out." V ordered, his voice masculine and low.

The guard snarled, raising his gun higher.

"Fine then. Have it your way." V snapped and then turned his pistol to the guard. One twitch of his finger and a bang rang out, causing Claire to fall to her knees covering her ears as she screamed. The guard collapsed to the ground. "They can never do it the fucking easy way, can they?"

The black hair man coughed, wincing as they moved into the elevator, V shoving Nora along. "Never. But at least you have a nice Corpo as a shield."

Nora felt V exhale, his breath brushing against the back of her head. "Nah, I don't think these two are Corpo. They have no tech. I think they're better than that. I think they're big money. Only the rich don't feel the need for tech."

Nora stiffened, clenching her fists as her eyes stared ahead. Claire whimpered behind them, only a few inches away from the guard's body. Their parents hadn't allowed them to get any enhancements. They thought it would mare their features and keep them from getting a worthy husband.

The elevator doors opened then, and they entered the lobby. The red lights of the guns all trained on them and Nora closed her eyes, praying to a God she had never really believed in.

"GUNS DOWN. THAT'S HAWKINS."   
  
A man ordered as Nora was accepting her fate. The room was quiet for a moment and Nora wondered if she was dead yet.

Surely she still wouldn't be feeling the cold barrel of a pistol pressed firmly against her skull if she was?

V pushed her then, and she stumbled forward, open her eyes to stare wildly around. There must have been thirty Arasaka guards, fully decked in their tactical gear, their guns down and aimed at the floor as the trio made their way into the hall.

Her shoulders sagged in relief when she realized they left Claire behind, tears pricking at her brown eyes.

"Release Miss Hawkins and we will allow you to leave." A guard yelled. From his gear, he was a squad leader.

V laughed behind her. "We're not stupid. I know not to throw away a lucky penny when I have one. Let's go, Jackie."

"Another day, another job, another accidental kidnapping." Jackie grunted out, gun still held up as they walked past the guards.

V huffed, his grip painfully tight on Nora's arm as they descended the steps. Nora's panicked eyes scanned over the guards. Were they going to let them leave with her? Was no one going to save her?

They exited into the parking garage then, a black and white Delamain cab pulled off to the sides and waiting, the doors already opened.

"You don't have to do this." Nora whimpered as they got closer, her legs shaking. "You don't have to take me."

"Kind of do, at this point. I'm a man of my convictions and my convictions involve not being gunned down by Corpo bastards." V snorted. Jackie entered the car quickly and then Nora was shoved in. V entered last and the doors shut.

Nora glanced up at Jackie then, her eyes lingering on his stomach. It was torn to bloody shreds. The flesh looked mangled through his white button-down. Her eyes flew to his face where he looked ghostly pale, his mouth in a grimace. "It'll be okay, princessa. We're not as bad as we look."

Nora highly doubted that. This looked incredibly bad. Hell it looked like bad had shit the bed a while ago.

What the fuck was she going to do now?


	2. Take Out The Gun Man

"He's bleeding out." Nora said in shock as the body of Jackie slumped against her. Her hands reached out to steady him, but he was much larger than her, causing her weight to crash into the man, V, behind her. A sheen of sweat lay on top of the Spanish man's skin and Nora gasped. "Is he going to-" 

V cursed, leaning forward and typing at the keyboard. "Shut up, you don't know what you're talking about. Put pressure on his wound." 

Nora hesitated, staring down at the massive wound. Her hands were tiny and she wasn't sure if she would even be able to cover the whole thing. "Just do it, Hawkins!" V barked and Nora quickly placed her hands over Jackie's stomach. His face was on her shoulder, and she felt her body sagging against his weight. 

"Take us to a ripperdoc!" V demanded, throwing his hands onto the keyboard. the white robotic Delamain stared back from the screen with a blank expression. 

"I cannot do that, Sir. This ride's itinerary has already been paid and set. We will be arriving momentarily." 

"FUCK!" V snarled and Nora tensed, staring wide-eyed down at her bloody hands. Was he going to kill her if she didn't manage to keep Jackie alive? She'd heard stories about mercenaries, and none of them were pleasant. The things they did...

She shivered at the memory. 

The car pulled into a decrepped building with a fluorescent sign declaring it the "No-Tell Motel". 

"Can you take him somewhere now?!"

"Please enter your payment information and location." 

Jackie stirred then, pushing up and reaching to the back of his head. 

"What are you doing?!" V snapped, shoving Nora out of the way to get to Jackie."Stay still!" 

Jackie grunted, grabbing a shard and pushing it towards V. "Take this. It should be with you." He slumped against the back of the seat them, his head lolling back. "Put it in quickly before this was all for nothing." 

"Fuck." V snarled, placing the shard into the slot, gasping and clutching the seat in the process. He looked about ready to seize when he pushed himself up. "What the hell was that." 

"I don't know man, but it's going to make us rich." Jackie chuckled. His eyes drifted shut then. 

V cursed, glancing at Jackie before pulling the cord out of his wrist. He plugged it in and shook his head, quickly opening the door. He grabbed ahold of Nora's arm, jerking her out of the vehicle harshly. "Hurry!" V yelled, stepping back and slamming the door. He walked them back a few steps before the cab began spitting gravel as it whipped back out into the road and around the corner fast enough to tip slightly on the ride side. 

"FUCK!" He yelled, arms raised to the back of his head. He kicked a can and it clanked loudly through the empty parking lot. 

Nora and V stood in the dust then, watching the cab as it disappeared. "He's going to be okay." V said. It wasn't directed at Nora. It was to himself and if he was trying to find some sort of comfort in it. 

Nora doubted it. She glanced down at her pale pink dress and hands, now covered in the blood of a man that had just helped kidnap her. She shivered in the faint chill that was creeping in with the dark, her eyes taking in the junk and garbage-strewn streets. 

He wrapped his hand and around her arm again and she was certain she was going to bruise from the tightness of his grip. She stumbled after him, heading into the motel. He pulled out his cellphone, cursing to himself about the room number before jerking her again through the graffiti hotel. 

Nora had never been inside a place so torn to bits before. Sure she had driven through bad areas before because even Atlanta had its fair share, but she'd never actually stepped inside of one. Was this really how the remaining 99% lived? 

She was in awe at her privilege. 

"Walk faster. I need to get this taken care of and get rid of you." V snapped. It was more exasperated and exhausted than anything at this point. It had lost the cutting edge from earlier. Now he just sounded tired. 

Nora dug her heel's into the carpet then, stumbling as he continued to yank her. "Oh my God, you are going to kill me." 

V sighed, face scrunched in annoyance as he glanced over his shoulder towards Nora. "No. Of course not." 

Nora's felt a breath of relief through her. At least she wasn't going to die. 

"You're worthless dead. I can get some pretty money from a lot of people for you. I'll even give Dex first dibs." Vs eyes were unreadable as he said this. Nora felt the urge to vomit rising in her throat. He must have seen her terrified expression because he smirked, shaking his head. " I love making Corpo's sweat. I'm a bad man, but I promise I'll return you to your perfect life. You are innocent, this time. " 

Nora closed her eyes, wishing she could shrink into the floor. He stopped at a door then, pounding harshly on it. There was a pause before it opened. A large man stood in the doorway, eyes narrowed as he looked down at them. He jerked his head up after a moment, stepping aside to allow them in. 

Nora felt herself shrink when she saw Dex. He was a large and portly man, his hair pulled back into dreds and hanging to his neck. He looked powerful and like a true gang member. He was pacing erratically, the TV playing footage of V holding her hostage as they exited into the parking garage. 

"What the fuck happened, V?! You went in for an easy job and you killed Saburo?!" 

Nora's knees shook. Not only had he killed the guard but also the head of the Arasaka megacorp? She was so fucked. He was merciless. 

"I didn't kill anyone! It was-" V began urgently, his hand gripping her arm even tighter. 

"You killed him and then you kidnapped whoever this is! What the fuck happened to Jackie?" Dex snarled, turning to them then. 

"The hospital. He got himself killed trying to get that damn shard for you." V snapped his whole body tense. 

Dex's shoulders relaxed a smidge then. "So you got the shard?" 

V tapped the back of his skull. "Right here." 

"We are majorly fucked man! I did not want to get into any beef with Arasaka!" Dex yelled then, pointing at the screen. It was showing footage of the building then, guards milling around as police entered the building. 

"You're the one that got us into this!" V yelled back, equally as fierce. The man who allowed them to enter advanced on them then and V jerked Nora behind him, whipping his gun out and pointing it at him. 

Dex held his hand up then, stopping his man from continuing. "We all need to take a moment and think. V go wash your face off. You're covered in blood."

V stood stiff for a moment before slowly relaxing. "Yeah. Sounds good. He looked over at Nora then. " Stay here. Keep your mouth shut." 

Nora nodded nervously, and V headed into the bathroom. The moment the door slid shut behind him Dex turned to his guard like Nora wasn't even there. "You know what to do." 

The guard stood by the door. We're they going to ambush him? Nora debated screaming to warn him, her lips parted slightly. Nora didn't know a lot, but she knew she was safer with V than Dex. 

For the second time that night, a man pulled a gun on her and pressed it roughly against her temple. "Not a fucking word." Dex forced out, his large arm wrapped around her throat. Nora whimpered, forcing her eyes shut when the door opened. 

A loud thump and sounded as V was hit, and others followed as his body crumpled onto the floor. "What now?" The man said to his boss. 

"Get rid of him. I'm not going to be involved in this shit no more." Dex released Nora with a shove just as a loud bang rang through the room. She sobbed, not having to open her eyes to know what that noise meant. 

They had just killed V. 

"What about this one?" The man asked. 

Dex scoffed. "Drop her body with V's. Maybe if her family finds her alive they won't come after us.

Nora didn't have time to feel relief. A sharp pain snapped through her skull and her body collapsed. 

Nora came to choking for breath. Her head felt as if sharp needles were being rammed into it, and her body felt stiff and painfilled. Where was she? What had happened to her?

She struggled to open her eyes, the daylight streaming down painfully. Her brown eyes struggled to adjust as she tried to push herself up. She was playing on top of something, and her movement caused it to shift, sending her tumbling down. 

" FUCK!" Nora cried when she landed on something sharp. It sliced into her lower stomach. She looked down. Scrap metal. It was everywhere. And trash. 

A piece of scrap metal poked out a foot to her left, a small pool of her crimson blood laying on the edge. Nora gasped, reaching her hand down and cupping her new cut. 

There was so much blood. 

A moan came from a few meters away and Nora scrambled to stand, wincing as she looked for the noise. 

She was in a landfill. She was in the fucking city landfill. 

The irony was not lost on Nora as she stumbled on more garbage, still clutching her side and crying out in the process. "Fuck fuck fuck." Nora gasped, tears streaming down her face. Her feet were bare, her heels long gone. Shards of glass and metal sliced into them with each step she took. 

She fell then, crying out as she went face first into dirt, thankfully. Nora pushed up, feeling the item she had tripped on shift under her. 

The item moaned, and Nora pushed herself up, stumbling as she looked down. V. 

He lay on the ground, face, and body bloody. His suit was ripped beyond repair and his robotic eye was smashed to bits. How the hell was he still alive? 

Nora glanced around, taking a step back. This was her chance. She needed to leave. Nora had no reason to help this man, but a final glance down at him sealed her fate. 

She was wounded, shoeless, in the middle of a fucking landfill in violent and unfamiliar territory with no cell phone and no way to get help. She was fucked without V. 

Plus...V had protected her when Dex's henchmen came at them. He shielded her with his body. She didn't know if it had been a spur of the moment thing but she knew that V maybe wasn't a complete monster. 

Besides, Nora justified, he needed to stay alive so the law could handle him. 

"Alright, asshole." Nora huffed, leaning down and shoving V onto his back. He groaned as he fell backward, his face scrunched in pain. 

Yikes, he was even worse from this angle. that handsome face was bruised and swollen and covered in blood. Nora grimaced, tucking her arms under his armpits and trying her best to drag him. Her bloody feet slipped under her as she tried to gain traction. 

She kneeled by his head for a moment, panting. He was a big man. Easily 6'3". He was broad and muscular to boot. She was not going to be able to drag this man out of here. "What am I supposed to do?" Nora whispered. 

She started at V for a long moment. "Maybe they left your phone on you?" Nora murmured, crawling around him to pat on his pockets. 

She flinched when his hand grabbed her wrist. His eyes were open, just barely as he looked at her. "Stop tryna feel me up." He said weakly. 

"Oh shut up, you idiot." Nora huffed, snatching her arm from his hold. She began to pat his pockets again. He chuckled to himself, wincing. "Your last words could be that-" 

V's eyes turned to look behind her then. "Gun." He forced out, coughing hard enough to send his whole body into a spasm. 

"Gun?" Nora said frantically. "That's what you want your last words to be-" 

"Here, he's over there! We don't want no problems with Mr. Arasaka! Him and the girl are over there!" Dex's voice range out through the landfill, growing closer with each work. 

"Fuck." Nora cursed to herself, patting V frantically. She reached around, running her fingers over the top of the back of his pants when she felt it. The pistol. The idiots hadn't taken the pistol. Nora gripped it, yanking it out from under him with a hiss and quickly pulling it up in front of her. It felt cold and heavy. It felt like terrifying power as she turned around gun aimed shakily at the men who advanced on her. 

Dex wasn't alone. 

She knew the man that was with him. She had seen him on multiple occasions over the last few months. 

Takemura. Saburo's bodyguard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure how I feel about following the story from mission to mission or being a little more free with it. What do you guys think? I feel like we all know the general plot and I don't really want to force you guys to sit through me retelling it word for word. Are we all okay with me taking some creative liberties here?


	3. Chapter 3

_Nora gripped the steering wheel in her shaking hands while leaned over the passenger seat, trying to steer as Takemura aimed his gun at the attackers. Blood still covered them from Jackie's wound and her stomach gash, a collision of fresh and dried and flaking._

_A man leaped off his flaming motorcycle sending it crashing into oncoming traffic as his sharp blades dug into the hood of the convertible. Like any sane person, she jerked the wheel, screaming as she tried to shake the bastard off._

_"FUCKING HELL!" V yelled, slamming against the backseat, his gun firing into the air at the impact._

_"KILL HIM ALREADY!" Nora yelled, ducking as his blade smashed through the windshield._

Nora closed her eyes, feeling dizzy from her blood loss as she grabbed V by the arm yanking him. She grunted, her foot smearing blood on the asphalt of the road. Takemaru groaned, losing his hold on V's feet and sliding to the ground.

"Come on! We need to get him help." She gasped, panic setting in. How was she supposed to get him into the ripperdoc if she couldn't even carry him?

A thought flickered a crossed Nora's consciousness then, so small it was barely there.

Why did she care if he lived or died? She could run for it right now and be back home within a few hours.

_The car sat stalled, smoke billowing it of its hood as V collapsed back onto the ground. He still held the gun in his hand as Takemaru limped around the front of the car. The Japanese man friends down at the corpse still laying on the hood, huffing as he shoved it off in annoyance._

_Nora, now covered in even more blood splatters than before, squatted on the ground, her hands behind her head and her face pulled down low as she struggled to breathe._

_"What the actual fuck?" Nora gasped. "Those were...were those Arasaka men?"_

_She already knew the answer. She had recognized the man on the hood. He had often guarded her and Claire. Nora knew he had to have recognized her. She had seen his scanner working as it took her in when he had first landed on the car._

_And yet...he didn't try and save her. He even swiped at her with his blade first, narrowly missing her._

_"He tried to kill me." Nora hissed then, pushing herself up. "Oh my God. He tried to kill me."_

_"News flash, princess. He tried to kill all of us. You're not that special." V coughed and Nora whipped around, narrowing her eyes at the man. The narrowed eyes lessened into a look of pity as he continued coughing._

_Then, they morphed into a look of horror as crimson blood_ _came from his mouth, flying into his hand with the force of his cough._

_"Oh my God." She gaped at him. He winced, finishing coughing and trying to push himself up._

_"Any idea on how to get out of here?" V grunted, his eyes glancing around the empty roadside. It was eerily quiet outside of Night City. His eyes fluttered heavily._

_"Keep him awake, Miss Hawkins or he won't wake up again." Takemaru said and Nora felt conflict flooding through her._

_He KIDNAPPED her, got her knocked out and disposed of in a landfill, and had her sliced and shot at in a car chase. Why did she need to do anything for him?_

_"DUCK!" Came a frantic shout from in front of Nora. She didn't even hesitate as she fell to her knees, scrapping them in the process. A loud bang echoed through the air, and it was a long moment before she felt brave enough to look up._

_When she did V was dropping his gun to the ground. It clattered loudly, bunching a fraction before settling to his left. V winced as he panted for breath, sagging back onto the ground in the process. "Delamain, get here NOW."_

_Nora stood then, looking over her shoulders, her eyes wide. The dead Arasaka guard was now OFFICIALLY dead, his body collapsed behind her. His face was bloody, due to the gaping hole through one of his cybernetic eyes. It wasn't the blood and gore that made her feel sick. It was the blade that narrowly missed slicing her down._

_Nora couldn't contain the bile as it raced up her throat and out of her mouth._

_Arasaka wanted her dead about as much as they wanted V dead._

"You saved my life, jackass, and I'm not about to let you did." Nora grunted then, giving him one more solid yank.

It, yet again, did nothing.

She released his solid body, allowing him to thump heavily onto the ground before turning around. "Help! Help! Someone help me!" The two pedestrians walking by simply glanced at her in disinterest. "Fuck you, buddy!" She snarled out.

Suddenly the metal door to Misty's Esoterica opened and a fluffy-haired blonde stepped out. Her eyes were heavily made up in dark shadows and a sharp spiked necklace adorned her throat. "What's all this fuss- V!" The woman gasped from the doorway, she hurried back inside, leaving Nora gaping after her.

The door was flung open again after a quick moment and the woman was back, an older man with black had and gauged ears following behind him. He had a hand brace on his left hand, cybernetic components sticking out to presumably help his precision.

"What have you gotten yourself into, V?" The man sighed, glancing over at Takemaru, who was leaning against the black and white cab. "Grab his legs for me-"

Takemaru collapsed then and the man sighed heavily. "Misty Im going to need your help. That one doesn't look too good, either." The man's eyes glanced over Nora in her tattered and bloody mess.

"Sure thing, Vik." Misty said, hurrying to grab V's feet. She cast a glance at Nora. "Stay here with him, we'll be back."

The pair disappeared like a well-oiled machine, only huffing a little as they hauled the burly man off the street. Nora turned to Takemaru then, who was shoving himself up off the ground, hissing allowed.

"Let me help you." Nora advanced on the man but he held up his hand weakly to stop her.

"Miss Hawkins, there is something you need to know before they come back." He said then, gritting his teeth as he turned his icy blue eyes on her. "The Arasaka will use this as a chance to dispose of you. You must stay safe."

Nora closed her eyes then, fighting the trembling building in her. "They're going to kill me?"

"You and your family are not safe, despite the promises of marriage."

The door was thrown open again and Misty stepped out, looking more rumpled than before. The same crimson blood that adorned Nora's dress was the same that now streaked crossed Misty's grey and purple attire. Misty's eyes landed on Nora.

"Come on, let's get you two stitched up. Quickly." Misty held an arm out, wrapping it around Nora's shoulder and steering her into the store. It was dark inside, with plants and the soothing smell of incense. Medela's and tapestries lined the walls, esoteric books in a case behind the desk where a stack of tarot cards lay. "I know who you are. I was it on the news."

Nora stiffed then, brown eyes looking up at Misty who was staring straight ahead.

"I also know what you did for Jackie, and I will never be able to repay you." Misty's eyes meet Nora's then, and nothing but you're relief leaked from them. They stepped out the back door and to a set of stairs leading into the ground.

"I didn't really-"

Misty shook her head. "Even a little was enough. Now let's go get you looked at, Eleanora."

XxXxXxXx

"Nasty gash you have here, Eleanora." Viktor Vector, the ripperdoc said hours later. V and Takemaru we're taken care of first, the first of the pair passed out in a chair not too far away, and the later long gone. 

"It's Nora." Nora said weakly. "Eleanora was my grandmother."

Vik smirked up at her as he prodded at her stomach wound. There was going to be a nasty scar, Nora didn't need to be a ripperdoc to know that. While one arm was lifted over her head to allow access to her abdominal wound, the other gripped the borrowed sweatpants bottoms tightly. A loose cotton shirt was pulled over her top and her once pretty pink dress was tossed in a waste bin a few feet away. "You look more like a Nora."

"Tell my mother that." Nora gritted out as he injected a needle into her side. "She said if she wanted me to be called Nora she would have named me it."

"You should start feeling numb now." He said. "Your mother sounds like mine did."

"You boring that girl, Vik?" Misty's voice called down the stairs. The metal cage door banged open then and the fluffy-haired blonde stepped into view.

"Doctor-patient confidentiality." Vik called out, shaking his head as he pulled a needle off the tray beside him. "How have you made it so far in life without any cyber upgrades. Not even a jack output?" Vik mused as the needle entered her skin.

It was a weird experience to watch. She saw it pull through her flesh, but the area was so numb she felt nothing. Not even pressure. She glanced down at her bandaged feet that throbbed painfully from the end of the chair. They hadn't received the same courtesy.

"Maybe she's a mystic, like me." Misty hummed, placing a box on the doctor's desk before heading to the pair.

"There is no one quite like you, Misty." The doctor replied, not glancing up from his work. "You hear anything else about Jackie?"

Misty sighed, her face falling as she sank into the chair beside them. Behind them, Nora could see the faint start of sunlight beginning to drift down the stairwell and through the cage door. How much time had passed? At least two nights, from what Nora was aware of. She laid her head back, closing her eyes.

"Not since he for out of surgery last night. Mama Welles found out about it and flipped on my cousin Marsha for telling me. Though I am thankful my cousin was working on the unit. It was better than nothing." She heard Misty sigh. The pair continued talking softly, and eventually, Nora drifted away.

She awoke to feel groggy, the light above Vik's desk was out, and the room was almost quite.

"You have to help her, V." Misty whispered. Nora peeked over, her eyes taking in Misty's form as she sat beside V.

V huffed, shaking his head. "I already have enough on my place now, Mis. I'm dying."

"Well, if you won't help her she'll be dead too." Misty said sharply. The room was quiet for a moment. "She's in this situation because of you. You heard what Saburo's lapdog said. They're going to kill her. And her family."

V cursed. "Stop playing to my fucking sense of morality, Misty. It isn't fair."

Misty laughed lightly, and the sound was muffled as she covered her mouth with her hands. "I always knew you were going to be a good one, V. Ever since you popped up from the badlands six months ago."

"Yeah yeah. She better not be a pain in my ass." V grumbled. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's my birthday so I wanted to mark the occasion by updating! It's a bit shorter (though, not by a lot) chapter than normal but I'm just trying to get Nora and V alone together to start building their relationship finally. Which should be next chapter! Im also thinking of adding the Johnny/ofc tag because I feel as if you can't love V without also having to deal with Johnny, but I'm uncertain still! 
> 
> Thank you all so much for you comments last chapter! I loved and appreciated them all! That's the kind of stuff that keeps up pumping out chapters quickly! I hope ya'll have happy holidays (if you celebrate any this time of year) and if not a hope you just have a great week.


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